I would like to propose that residents of Talbot County hold a vigil for Renee Nicole Good by the Courthouse. Certainly, we can pull together to honor the life of someone whose life was taken too early. Easton held a vigil a few months ago for Charlie Kirk. Perhaps we might honor our values in every situation and not just the ones we share via our politics. This would suggest that we are not cherry picking our values to suit any agenda, rather we are demonstrating that our values are evenly applied and that we love our neighbors, no matter what. That we might actually have the capacity to share with one another, regardless of political affiliation, our common humanity. It might show that WE WILL NO LONGER ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE DIVIDED FOR POLITICAL GAIN! Let’s do THAT.

Let us be one people that stands together and resists tyranny in all its forms. We can show that we will never accept that political violence, whether it is committed by rogue individuals or by the state, has no place in our society or our world. Let us demonstrate that our community cares about each other. That we might come together….so that, if, when some crisis or calamity strikes, we may rest assured that in OUR community, our political divisions will be overridden by our shared values…our common humanity.

James Siegman
Talbot County

A number of people have urged me to run this year for County Council.  In fact, I have considered it, because the pro-development regime that has controlled Talbot for many years needs to be overthrown.  Integrity must be restored.  Developer influence must be curtailed.  And new guardrails to protect Talbot’s unique character for the long run must be established.  It will take bold leadership to make that happen.

If I run, it will be as an Independent candidate in the General Election next fall–assuming I can find some 300 Talbot citizens willing to sign a Petition of Candidacy, which is the only path for an Independent to get on the ballot.  And the goal would not simply be my election, but helping to seat a solid majority of at least 4 reform-minded candidates, irrespective of party.

THE COUNCIL NEEDS REFORM AND A ROCK-SOLID MAJORITY.

In Talbot, the great challenge of our time is reining in unbridled development.  For over a decade, the Council has been controlled by a 3-person pro-development majority that listens too closely to the lawyers and engineers fronting for developers.

That group is led today by Chuck Callahan, with Keasha Haythe and Dave Stepp as his pocket votes.  This Council’s tolerance for dishonesty is forever symbolized by Lakeside.

It is not pre-ordained that pro-development interests must always sit in the majority while opposition voices remain the minority.  People have just gotten used to it, even though names sometimes changed.  (Tonight Mr. Lesher will play the role of Dirck Bartlett, Ms. Mielke in for Laura Price, and the Frank Divilio part will be performed by Mr. Stepp.)  Fruitless are the days of two white-hat Council Members losing vote after vote to three allied with developers.  

Other issues will matter in the campaign—public safety, for example.  But land use decisions, so susceptible to “influence,” are the ones that will forever shape the future of Talbot County.  Screw it up, and you can’t unscrew it.

WHY RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT?

First, matters before the County Council very rarely involve national “party” issues.  The economy, gun control, the War Department don’t come up in the Bradley Room.  Talbot has no oil or rare earth minerals, and local issues are almost never red vs. blue.  On the most important of those—pace and conditions of development–I believe Republicans and Democrats alike want both restraint and transparency.

Second, if the goal of this campaign is to assure election of 4 or 5 of the best reform candidates regardless of party, the person leading that effort cannot credibly come from inside one party.  Best that such leader be Independent.  And 22% of Talbot voters are unaffiliated; never has one even run for local office.

(Full disclosure:  I was a lifelong Democrat, family roots going back to FDR.  I registered Republican a few years ago for the sole purpose of voting for Dirck Bartlett in a primary where every single vote was essential.  I switched to unaffiliated a few years ago consistent with setting up the bipartisan efforts described below.  Let it also be said plainly that I abhor Trump and virtually everything he stands for–which has nothing to do with Talbot’s land use issues.)  

Third, running as an independent feels comfortable, having founded two successful bi-partisan County organizations—The Bipartisan Coalition For New Council Leadership and The Talbot Integrity Project (“TIP”).  

As a reminder, spurred by The Bipartisan Coalition, in 2018, citizens ousted the then-sitting, pro-development Council President.  And TIP’s RESET LAKESIDE initiative in 2022 resulted in the election of three endorsed candidates, each of whom had confirmed their opposition to that dreadful project.  

(Triumph turned to ashes when Keasha Haythe, a Democrat, promptly turned coat, refused to follow through, and joined with Councilmen Callahan and Stepp in supporting the Lakeside developer through numerous votes in a 3-year battle—notwithstanding that the County and State both ultimately acknowledged that Lakeside’s initial approval had been illegal.)

Those earlier experiences completely inform the campaign envisioned for 2026.  Lessons learned will strengthen it.

WHY DISCUSS THIS NOW, AND NOT IN JUNE?

Because the filing deadline for primary election is February 24th.  People must act soon.  (Info here.)

Surely not everyone is willing to roll over to the developers.  There are readers motivated by a love of the Talbot County, who wish to protect its unique character for the long term, and can bring integrity and wisdom to the challenges and opportunities of growth.  Surely in this political year 2026, there are folks with the courage to engage on local problems where they can make a difference.  Maybe fixing issues roiling our Nation begins at home.

Whether Democrat or Republican, if you want to protect Talbot from the onslaught of unchecked development, consider running.  Especially younger folks—you and your kids are the inheritors of what’s coming, good or bad.

Know that you will not be running alone.  Support exists—organizational, tactical, financial.  Other candidates will join the chorus.  In a year that promises record turnout, many voters will already be coming to the polls with reform on the minds.  Most importantly, know that there are a ton of voters—red and blue—for whom integrity and controlled growth are the key local issues.  (Williams was ousted in ‘18; TIP candidates won three seats in ’22, Lesher top of the list by far.)  People like me will step up to help, if you have the courage to run.

WILL THIS WORK?

It can work, but success depends on many things–beginning with the candidates who have the gumption to step up.  (See above.)  

No matter how compelling the logic, and how much Talbot would benefit, the idea of 5 like-minded candidates–not necessarily of the same party–helping one another, or at least running in parallel, is unprecedented and not guaranteed.  Many details need to be worked out.  Self-interested Central Party Committees, who as a rule act tribally, may try to impede it.  But I believe we can find a way to skin the cat.

And we do not even know yet which incumbents will run.  Burn out happens.  Other demands intrude (like running a business or foundation).  Interest can wane.  (We do know that Pete Lesher intends to file.)

So, if you’re on the right side of these issues, consider running.  And if not you, then encourage that younger friend or neighbor you know would be a strong candidate!  Spread the word.

Dan Watson
Easton

PS. Whether or not you can step up as a candidate, if you’d like to support an initiative like this as it develops later in the year, email me at [email protected].

On Tuesday, I observed with trepidation the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by insurrectionists directed by President Donald Trump to block the certification that Joe Biden had won the Electoral College vote to become the 46th president of the United States. By calendar coincidence, that date will forever after be shared with the Feast of the Epiphany – better known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas or Three Kings Day – marking the night when a Magi trio of wisemen followed the star leading them to a stable and a manger in Bethlehem. 

It’s an inscrutably ironic coincidence in that Trump would tolerate only one king – himself – for such recognition while we, his disobliging subjects, insist on none at all.

Unsurprisingly, my trepidation proved entirely predictable as the president reacted to the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s video testimony before Congress on two cases (stolen classified documents and insurrection) that likely would have resulted in Trump’s felony convictions bordering on treason had either charge gone to trial. But with the help of judicial co-conspirators – ranging from a nakedly biased District Court judge and a party-line majority of the U.S. Supreme Court – the clock on justice in these cases ran out on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. 

On Three Kings Day, 2026, the White House released a false narrative of what happened on Jan. 6 five years ago, based on the fabulist lie that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election. If you were not persuaded by the sheer impossibility of “rigging” an election conducted by roughly 177,000 precincts in 3,250 counties or county equivalents (City of Baltimore, for instance), then do yourself a favor to the truth by checking out just an hour of Smith’s testimony on YouTube. He had the goods on Trump, notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s ruling that the president, or at least this one, is above and beyond the reach of any law of the land.

The greatest threat to the United States of America is the current White House tenant, duly elected to two non-consecutive residencies. Our greatest fear should be that his unchecked psychopathic narcissism will lead him to do much worse than shoot someone on Fifth Avenue just to see if he can get away with it. Unlimited power and unquenchable thirst for venality and vengeance will be his undoing. But the question lurks dangerously unanswered: Will that happen before he destroys the country we love?

The gift on the Twelfth Day of Christmas was a dozen drummers drumming. Let’s hope it’s the drumbeat of justice and democracy that finally prevails.

Steve Parks
Easton

Trump is acting like the dictator he told us he would be. Facts are facts.

“Lessons from Geese” is based on the work of Milton Olson and has been used as a leadership development tool; however, its many lessons apply to all of us.  The honking geese are a good reminder, but will we look up, look out, listen, and act?

  FACT 1:

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

LESSON:

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

  FACT 2:

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

LESSON:

If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

  FACT 3:

When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation, and another goose flies to the point position.

LESSON:

It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, or resources.

  FACT 4:

The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

LESSON:

We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

  FACT 5:

When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.

LESSON:

If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Robin Stricoff
Oxford

What the heck is going on in Oxford? Last Tuesday, during an official Commissioner discussion on allowing non-residents the right to vote in local Oxford elections, Commissioner Greer said she did not think that the current Oxford voters should be allowed to vote on the issue of whether to expand the voting pool on local issues to non-residents. She did not think that it was Democratic to let the people who live and vote in Oxford to decide a significant Charter change. WHAT?

It is our right and duty to vote on issues of this importance. Next, she will say we should allow people who don’t live in Oxford to run for office. Perhaps she would like to share why no other government entity in Talbot County, the MidShore, or the State lets people who are not domiciled there to vote there. We are talking about people who have another residence that is their primary residence – they pay their income taxes there, vote there.

The Oxford Town Board of Elections views the change unfavorably.

And on April 11, 2025, Oxford Town Attorney Lyndsey Ryan pointed out”…It is consistent with the ruling in Tobin v North Beach, that permitting non-resident property owners to vote in a town election violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by diluting the votes of town residents.”
So, what is the benefit to our town, our Oxford, to allow non-residents to vote here? Who stands to gain? It is not the residents of Oxford.

Susan Delean-Botkin
Oxford

Donald Trump never saw a limit on his executive authority that he didn’t want to stretch to the breaking point, and then some, usually at the Supreme Court. The controversy over the alleged military orders to “kill them all” and the “double tap” attacks on helpless survivors of alleged illicit, drug-laden speedboats in the Caribbean waters off Venezuela exposes a Constitutional constraint that is fundamental to the limits of his power as commander in chief, despite all his efforts to sweep away the usual checks that bound prior Presidents.  His military commanders swear an oath to the Constitution, not to the President, nor to the Secretary of Defense.  A military strategy that ignores that will ultimately collapse.

A partial collapse is evident already with the alleged “double tap” orders that bedevil Secretary Hegseth, as he runs away from responsibility for the orders someone apparently gave to our commanders to circle back and shoot any survivors in the Caribbean waters.  The Former JAGS Working Group, JAG attorneys who would know, stated on Nov 29, 2025, about “No Quarter” orders in the Caribbean Boat strikes.  They conclude that “…since orders to kill survivors of an attack at sea are “patently illegal,” anyone who issues such orders can and should be prosecuted for war crimes, murder, or both.”  The Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in an unprecedented challenge to Trump from his own party will hold hearings on this issue.   Good luck getting a commander to issue a “double tap” order again in the future.

The less obvious, but equally important, issue is why our military was shooting to sink civilian boats in the first place, as that by law is only permitted in wartime. At what point will our commanders balk as Trump’s pledges on Dec. 2, to attack the narco-terrorist groups he designates anywhere they appear, on land or sea and not just in Venezuela? He is fashioning his own unprecedented, global war powers resolution against these groups without any Congressional involvement. Apparently, more than one top commander has already retired rather than execute such orders.

When he took office Trump took pains to eliminate checks on his power so he can expect unswerving obedience from the executive branch.  He fired the top judge advocate generals (JAG) of the Army, Navy and Air Force who oversee hundreds of JAG officers who advise commanders on the lawfulness of orders they are about to issue.  He also fired most of the inspector generals (IGs) who oversee federal agencies.  (Trump missed one at the Pentagon who just issued a report critical of Hegseth’s conduct.)  Trump replaced most of the senior officials in the Pentagon with lackeys like Hegseth whose commitment is to Trump, not the Constitution, despite the oath they swore.  You can only fire so many military commanders before your army resembles that of Vladimir Putin, unswervingly loyal to him, but incompetent.

Prior to September 2, the Trump administration used the Coast Guard, part of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense, to counter drug smuggling at sea, as had every prior administration.  The Coast Guard, not the Navy, interdicted suspected boats, inspected and seized illicit cargos, questioned and perhaps arrested the crew, but did not harm them unless they fired on the Coast Guard.  It cannot lawfully just sink boats and kill crews outright.

Beginning Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth announced with much legal arm waving that because the Administration had determined that we are “at war” with specific narco-terrorist groups based in Venezuela, but not with the country itself, the Department of Defense would take over the Coast Guard role.  (The law provides for that transfer of authority in the event of war.)  That meant that Hegseth, not the Coast Guard Commandant, would take over and handle interdiction operations and the press conferences.

We are now in uncharted waters as Trump seeks to implement his own global war powers resolution across multiple countries without Congressional input.  In the past where military commanders had qualms about an order, they relied in part on JAG officers for advice.    Commanders deserve competent unbiased advisors if we expect them to honor their oath to the Constitution.  Congress would do well to investigate if commanders are confident in that advice. Is the administration pursuing a strategy against these narco-terrorists that is clearly consistent with the Constitution?  This is fundamental to the success of our military forces in any operation.

Jim Bruce, a former Captain in the U.S. Army, lives in St. Michaels

David Montgomery’s outburst at the recent Town Council meeting was revealing — not about the Talbot Family Network, but about himself.

Presented with hard data on hunger, housing insecurity, childhood poverty, and mental health, Mr. Montgomery chose not to engage with the suffering of nearly 40% of Talbot households struggling to meet basic needs. Instead, he attacked the representative of TFN for acknowledging racial disparities and for daring to include transgender people in the human conversation. That is not leadership. That is projection.

Mr. Montgomery accuses others of “bias,” yet he arrives with his own rigid ideological script already written. He dismisses community data as “progressive,” while advancing a singular moral theory that poverty can be solved simply by promoting traditional family structures. That view conveniently ignores economic reality, healthcare access, wages, housing costs, disability, addiction, and the countless circumstances that families do not choose.

And let us be honest: Montgomery has made a pattern of singling out LGBTQ people — especially transgender residents — as symbolic villains in his culture war. It is a familiar political move: punch down, then claim neutrality.

What is especially jarring is the timing. We enter the holiday season — a time supposedly dedicated to charity, humility, and care for the least among us — yet the message from Mr. Montgomery once again seems to be that only one type of family, one type of identity, and one type of life experience is worthy of recognition in Talbot County.

The subtext is impossible to ignore: if you are not part of the privileged, straight, cisgender, religious conservative-leaning power structure, your struggles are suspect, your data is “biased,” and your existence is political.

Which raises a fair question: if this is how Mr. Montgomery spends his political capital now — attacking food security networks and DEI book clubs — what comes next? A renewed push, perhaps with like-minded allies like Lynne Mielke, to once again restore the Talbot Boys monument to the courthouse lawn under the banner of “heritage” and “neutrality”? The pattern suggests that symbolic grievance matters more than material suffering.

Mr. Montgomery is entitled to his opinions. But the people of Talbot County are also entitled to ask whether those opinions reflect compassion, reality, or simply comfort with a world where power already looks like him.

And when one public figure recently sneered that certain minority citizens “garbage,” many of us recognized the sentiment immediately — because for too many residents, that is exactly what this kind of politics feels like.

Talbot County deserves leaders focused on solving hunger, housing, and hardship — not manufacturing cultural enemies while real families suffer and fall further behind.

Keith Alan Watts
Tilghman

Easton’s Comprehensive Plan Has Vision — Now It Needs the Right Tool.

Easton’s character is not an accident. It comes from generations of choices—homes built close to the street, walkable blocks, human-scaled buildings, and neighborhoods shaped by people who cared about how this town grew.

Now, with the release of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing Draft, Easton has a rare opportunity to shape its next chapter. The draft plan contains many promising ideas: walkable streets, better bike connections, traditional neighborhood patterns, safer public spaces, and redevelopment that feels more like historic Easton and less like suburban sprawl. For this, the Town deserves real credit.

But an important piece is missing—the tool that makes all these good ideas happen. That tool is Form-Based Zoning, and without it, the Comprehensive Plan’s vision will remain more aspirational than achievable.

What the Draft Plan Gets Right

The draft plan recognizes that Easton must move beyond outdated, use-based zoning (Euclidean zoning)—rules written decades ago that focus on what a building is used for instead of what it looks like or how it shapes a neighborhood. The plan introduces new ‘Place Types,’ which are basically neighborhood character zones describing the scale and style of development appropriate to each part of Easton. It emphasizes Traditional Neighborhood Development and calls for design principles that reflect Easton’s historic character.

The plan already leans heavily in a form-based direction.
It just stops short of saying the words needed to make very clear what the desired outcomes would be.

Why This Matters

Use-based zoning is the reason Easton residents routinely find themselves fighting off substandard, out-of-scale projects that “fit the zoning” on paper but do not fit the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter what the community wants or what the Comprehensive Plan says—if a project technically meets the outdated use table, it gets to move forward.

Meanwhile, residents are left spending hours attending hearings, studying site plans, organizing opposition, and defending their property rights. In a rapidly growing town, this is simply not sustainable, nor fair to the residents.Form-Based Zoning flips this dynamic.

Instead of relying on abstract use tables, it focuses on how we experience the world — visually and in three dimensions. It regulates what people see and feel on a street: the height of a building, how it sits on the lot, the shape of the roofline, the presence of porches or windows, and how a building meets the sidewalk. These standards are illustrated and easy to understand, which reduces conflict, speeds up approval for good projects, and stops out-of-place buildings before they gain momentum.

A Tool That Protects Both Neighborhoods and Investment

Form-Based Zoning is not anti-development. In fact, it makes development easier—for the right projects.

Developers get:

Clear expectations
A streamlined process
Faster approvals when they follow the code
Lower design costs
A level playing field that favors good local builders

Residents get:

Projects that look like Easton
Early, predictable review
A reduced need for neighborhood conflicts
Confidence that growth will respect community character

The Town gets:

Less conflict
Better-quality projects
Plans that match outcomes
A stronger tax base created by walkable, traditional neighborhood design
Other Towns Have Already Done This Successfully

Form-based zoning is not experimental. Communities in Maryland and around the country are adopting it. Frederick, MD, Beaufort, SC and Nashville, TN to name a few.

These towns show that form-based zoning both protects neighborhoods and provides certainty for developers. Easton would be joining an established national movement—not inventing something new

Why the Comprehensive Plan Needs to Say It Out Loud

The Comprehensive Plan is the document that sets Easton’s direction for the next 10 years. If the Town truly wants:

Traditional neighborhood form
Walkable streets
Historic character
Mixed-use corridors
Better infill
Safer streets
Fiscal sustainability

Then it must include an explicit commitment to adopt Form-Based Zoning.

Otherwise, we will continue to see plans that look great on paper but never materialize—or worse, neighborhoods that slowly lose their character one incompatible project at a time.

A Simple Request

Easton’s residents are not asking for anything radical. We are simply asking that the Comprehensive Plan include a clear statement like this:

“The Town will adopt a form-based zoning code, aligned with the Plan’s Place Types, within two years of Comprehensive Plan adoption.”

This would finally give Easton the regulatory tools to build the future we want, without losing the character we already have.

Easton is at a turning point. Our neighborhoods, our history, and our shared identity deserve a plan that not only looks forward but also protects the town we love. Form-Based Zoning is how we get there.

Let’s seize this moment. Let’s grow—without giving up what makes Easton, Easton.

Jay Corvan
Greg Zimmerman
Talbot County

A Planning Commission Public Hearing on the Easton Comprehensive Plan Draft will be held:

Tuesday, December 9, town hall at 6PM

Both the Comprehensive Plan Draft and the East End Small Area Plan are available at:
www.engage.eastonmd.gov